Hi, we have a 5 year old IB hen who has gone broody for the first time. We do not want any more peafowl than what we have right now. She was setting in a big dog crate with her three eggs (she must've eaten or rejected one, cause she did have four).
I ordered some fake peahen eggs on line, and thought it would be a simple thing to substitute the fake eggs when she wasn't looking, and then voila, problem solved. That's what the zoo does, it looks so easy, right? Well, no.
The eggs came and I was disappointed to find that they were not only white, but also the wrong size and weight. I knew that the peahen would reject them. I tried rubbing the white egg in dead leaves to try to simulate a brown, slightly dirty egg. It didn't work. All of her eggs are spotless. Today she got off the nest to grab a bite & stretch. I decided to substitute just one egg, to see how it worked. I took one of her eggs and switched it out with the fake one, then placed her egg in a box behind the crate, intending to get it after I was done feeding. She didn't see me do this, but she instantly knew something was wrong. She was agitated, went immediately to the back of the dog crate where the egg was, then paced round and round the dog crate, calling and carrying on . I was so upset that when she went outside for a minute, I put her egg back, and shook all three of her eggs. This is what a friend of mine does with bird of prey eggs that are in her wildlife rehab facility. I felt terrible doing it, but we just do not have the room or resources for her to have babies. Anyway, Snap the peahen is now sitting OUTSIDE the dog crate, not on her eggs. She must know that her eggs have been tampered with. I feel like a heel and I don't know what to do for her.
Our flock free ranges, and although we have pens big enough to accommodate a peahen and chicks, they are both in use right now by other birds, and her chicks would've hatched in two weeks or so, so there would be a conflict. Our flock free ranges. I've read and heard horror stories about people with out of control free range peafowl flocks, and that's what I'm trying to avoid. As you all know, they are not easy in most cases to catch or handle.
My question is, is there any stress free way to manage a broody peahen so that she does not freak out about her eggs being messed with? We have tried just removing them, praying, and now substituting fake eggs. We've had peahens for a few years and, to date, none have had a successful hatch. We only had one hatch before, and that peahen was not a good mother, and the chick died.
Anyway, it's only a matter of time before there is a successful hatch; I think this one would have been. We have two peacocks, also.
My other question is..how did she know? Would the embryos have already been communicating with her? (I don't think I want to know the answer to this....
). She's been setting on them about two weeks.
Is there any way that I'm not aware of to catch a hen and chicks, and, how long do the young ones have to stay with her before they can be fledged/ sold? I've heard 4 months, but just checking.
Is there anything I can do for her? I'm assuming she'll get over it, but I dunno.
Help please. I feel awful.
I ordered some fake peahen eggs on line, and thought it would be a simple thing to substitute the fake eggs when she wasn't looking, and then voila, problem solved. That's what the zoo does, it looks so easy, right? Well, no.
The eggs came and I was disappointed to find that they were not only white, but also the wrong size and weight. I knew that the peahen would reject them. I tried rubbing the white egg in dead leaves to try to simulate a brown, slightly dirty egg. It didn't work. All of her eggs are spotless. Today she got off the nest to grab a bite & stretch. I decided to substitute just one egg, to see how it worked. I took one of her eggs and switched it out with the fake one, then placed her egg in a box behind the crate, intending to get it after I was done feeding. She didn't see me do this, but she instantly knew something was wrong. She was agitated, went immediately to the back of the dog crate where the egg was, then paced round and round the dog crate, calling and carrying on . I was so upset that when she went outside for a minute, I put her egg back, and shook all three of her eggs. This is what a friend of mine does with bird of prey eggs that are in her wildlife rehab facility. I felt terrible doing it, but we just do not have the room or resources for her to have babies. Anyway, Snap the peahen is now sitting OUTSIDE the dog crate, not on her eggs. She must know that her eggs have been tampered with. I feel like a heel and I don't know what to do for her.
Our flock free ranges, and although we have pens big enough to accommodate a peahen and chicks, they are both in use right now by other birds, and her chicks would've hatched in two weeks or so, so there would be a conflict. Our flock free ranges. I've read and heard horror stories about people with out of control free range peafowl flocks, and that's what I'm trying to avoid. As you all know, they are not easy in most cases to catch or handle.
My question is, is there any stress free way to manage a broody peahen so that she does not freak out about her eggs being messed with? We have tried just removing them, praying, and now substituting fake eggs. We've had peahens for a few years and, to date, none have had a successful hatch. We only had one hatch before, and that peahen was not a good mother, and the chick died.
Anyway, it's only a matter of time before there is a successful hatch; I think this one would have been. We have two peacocks, also.
My other question is..how did she know? Would the embryos have already been communicating with her? (I don't think I want to know the answer to this....
). She's been setting on them about two weeks. Is there any way that I'm not aware of to catch a hen and chicks, and, how long do the young ones have to stay with her before they can be fledged/ sold? I've heard 4 months, but just checking.
Is there anything I can do for her? I'm assuming she'll get over it, but I dunno.
Help please. I feel awful.
